davew Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 SFA chiefs agree Qatar tie-up after Doha visit Mark Walker Monday 23 February 2015 SFA CHIEFS have agreed a partnership with World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar after a visit to the Arabian nation. A three-man SFA delegation of chief executive Stewart Regan, president Campbell Ogilvie and vice-president Rod Petrie visited the oil-rich state last week on a fact-finding visit. They viewed their facilities including their their Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence and the Aspetar Sports Medicine Hospital, with a Scotland Under 15 squad also playing in a tournament in Doha. And the Qatari FA have revealed they have now established close links with the SFA. Vice-president Saud Abdulaziz Al Mohannadi said: "We had excellent discussions with the Scottish FA delegation and we have many areas of common interest. "We agreed to strengthen areas of cooperation that will contribute to benefit the relations between our football associations. "There will be an enhanced relationship between us in order to improve the football system in both Qatar and Scotland." And Ogilvie insisted the SFA were happy to help to try and improve Qatari football, ahead of their controversial hosting of the World Cup next decade. He said: "Doha has become one of the most important sports cities in the global arena. "I'm impressed with what we have seen with their state-of-the-art facilities. "Qatari football is progressing too and we hope to work together in the future." link: http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/sfa-chiefs-agree-qatar-tie-up-after-doha-visit.119061359 I'm just trying to work out, what they were doing there, and what benefit it could possibly be to Scotland. "There will be an enhanced relationship between us in order to improve the football system in both Qatar and Scotland." How is a relationship with Qatar going to improve the "football system" in Scotland? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
At U Peter Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 So a friendly with them does look likely then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Few years back (about 2009-ish) there was talk coming out of the SFA about selling coaching courses to the Arabs and was mention of a game (IIRC was during Burleys time as manager and talk was to go to Daubi/Qatar with a squad and basically sell the coaching to the Arabs to start up a school over there..... talked died down after a few weeks and think we ended up playing Japan). If this is a partnership link up, then good chance of a game I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braveheart_lynch Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 link: http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/sfa-chiefs-agree-qatar-tie-up-after-doha-visit.119061359 I'm just trying to work out, what they were doing there, and what benefit it could possibly be to Scotland. "There will be an enhanced relationship between us in order to improve the football system in both Qatar and Scotland." How is a relationship with Qatar going to improve the "football system" in Scotland? I'm guessing we'll send coaches over and set up coaching programmes in Qatar in exchange for wads of cash to help improve our system over here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giblet Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 fecking Rod Petrie! ya barsteward! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmcb Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Pretty sure we will be hearing a lot about the aspire academy over the next few years...future Qatari national team will be made up of the best youngsters from Africa and South America. On a side note 2 players from the Celtic academy were recently invited over to play for the aspire academy against youth teams from Madrid,Milan, barca etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartanpar Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 It sounds like it will be lucrative. For the SFA to send the President, Chief executive & a board member then it must be a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 On a side note 2 players from the Celtic academy were recently invited over to play for the aspire academy against youth teams from Madrid,Milan, barca etc There was a Scotland U15 team out there last week to take part in a tournament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
er yir macaroon Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Pretty sure we will be hearing a lot about the aspire academy over the next few years...future Qatari national team will be made up of the best youngsters from Africa and South America. On a side note 2 players from the Celtic academy were recently invited over to play for the aspire academy against youth teams from Madrid,Milan, barca etc I can't read the article, but am I right in guessing they're buying up the worlds best youth players and getting them to turn out for Qatar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I can't read the article, but am I right in guessing they're buying up the worlds best youth players and getting them to turn out for Qatar? Nothing like that in the article. Probably do what Morocco did a few years back and get a couple of Brazilian players (offer lucrative deals to join Qatar football clubs, then start the paperwork to get them nationalized in order to get them eligible to play for the national team) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmcb Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Here's the link for the Celtic players http://www.celticfc.net/news/7518 And some info on the aspire academy http://www.aspire.qa/Football/FootballProgram/Pages/Philosophy.aspx There was a bit on trans world sport a few hrs ago....there was 6 Brazilian youngsters at the school, don't appear to have played for Qatar at any level yet but I'm Sure the plan will be to pick the best youngsters from the poorest countries, give them a free education and a passport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Nice few days out for the Blazer Select. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davew Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 I'm guessing we'll send coaches over and set up coaching programmes in Qatar in exchange for wads of cash to help improve our system over here. I think that's the only explanation. The "SFA [a]re happy to help to try and improve Qatari football" in exchange for wads of cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristolhibby Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 That's one hell of a jolly. Some cracking job opportunities for Scottish coaches coming up, in exchange for muchos oil $ bills yo! Sounds like we may well be having that friendly after all. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 There was a Scotland U15 team out there last week to take part in a tournament. I noticed that as there were couple from killie in squad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 <p>Killie players? No doubt they'll all be part of the super-duper, all conquering Killie youth set-up?</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 <p>Killie players? No doubt they'll all be part of the super-duper, all conquering Killie youth set-up?</p> I detect a hint of sacasim. Our youth set up does ok. Think average age of our bench on Saturday was 18. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blantyre_Braveheart Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 It'll probably end with a link up to the ASPIRE academy where 2 or 3 scots will get a chance to go there, like they do in Senegal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristolhibby Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Not too sure about the Qatar strip. Horrible if you ask me.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimstroma Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Not too sure about the Qatar strip. Horrible if you ask me.? Big laddies for U15! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoltanBuchan Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Pretty sure we will be hearing a lot about the aspire academy over the next few years...future Qatari national team will be made up of the best youngsters from Africa and South America. I've been saying for years that their World Cup side won't feature a single local player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewisEDI Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Not too sure about the Qatar strip. Horrible if you ask me. how are they going to hold a WC if they cant even doctor an image properly ffs (slightly sarcastic) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blantyre_Braveheart Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Not too sure about the Qatar strip. Horrible if you ask me.? The keeper looks in his 40s lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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